A Time Of Age
by LycoX
Summary: Things are going fairly well in Barry Allen's life until the Speed Force presents a new wrinkle for him to deal with.
1. Chapter 1

**A Time**

 **of Age**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Disclaimer: Hello all! Its time for a brand new story in the Stopped!Tsunami verse! Which if you may not know, this is the third story set after The Day Is Saved (But Not All Is Well) and The Offer. So if you haven't yet, go read those Flash fics before reading this! This story was inspired by a panel I saw of the Flash comics awhile back with him aging rapidly and I thought it would be interesting to try my hand at writing something similar to it. Oh yeah, I own nothing but what you see here!**

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 **Roads of Central City**

Barry Allen, known as the Fastest Man Alive was out and about running through the streets of Central City in his alter ego known as the Flash. It'd been some time since April when he had to deal with the likes of Amanda Waller and Ra's Al Ghul when both showed up to try and get him to join their organizations. But with a little help from Oliver Queen, he'd been able to tell them thanks but no thanks as he wanted no part in that kind of life. Thankfully they abided by it and he'd had no trouble since then thankfully enough. It was now around near the end of May and he'd dealt with quite a few things since April as well. Such as the Trickster and his protege, a team up with Ray Palmer that saw them deal with a girl named Brie Larvan who was out for revenge and using bee's to do it, a shape changing Meta-Human known as Hannibal Bates, Linda's parents who weren't exactly impressed with their daughter's choice of a suitor. Especially the fact he'd gotten her pregnant while not even married.

But she had refused to end things with him as she was her own person and hadn't really talked with her parents since then. Barry's talk with his dad and Joe had gone far better though so at least it was something in their win category. Though the Speedster had tried several times to get her parents to see a different view of things but so far had had no luck. Things between him and Iris were also strained because of the baby news but she thankfully wasn't giving him the cold shoulder anymore. But she would barely say a word to Linda and the Sports reporter was starting to tire of it quickly and Barry had a feeling something was about to go down between the two girls at some point if Iris' attitude didn't start to improve soon.

Caitlin, Henry, and Cisco to a point, nicely enough had made a few things to help monitor the baby's condition while in the womb, which considerly put both Barry and Linda's minds at ease too. Their contributions in the baby department had also nicely enough been a boon to expectant couples and made STAR Labs a good amount of profit in the process as well. The original intentions Cisco had with Barry's suit for the fire department to improve their protective gear had also been implemented as well and it'd gone pretty well too thankfully enough. Global Dynamics' PR department was going a long way in helping to bring back the more positive reputation STAR Labs had before the Particle Accelerator's explosion. Even Barry's own contributions to the CSI field was going over really well thanks to the funding he got to develop it.

The running he was doing was mostly a stress reliever and to just enjoy running. Since April, he'd also come up with a few new tricks to use with his speed. Such as making his arms into a wind force to blow out fires and an invisible aura that protected against friction. Though he was still working on somehow extending it to others so that they wouldn't catch on fire when being held by him for a certain period of time like the time with Felicity and her shirt. " _Hey Barry, we got a robbery in progress at a Mom and Pop store on 3_ _rd_ _and Hensington._ " Came the voice of Cisco Ramon.

"Got it, thanks Cisco." He sped off and quickly made short work of the robbers.

"Come on guys, its un-dignified to rob a Mom and Pop store." Barry told the tied up robbers with a shake of the head.

He then told the store owners to call the police and sped off to his next destination. Which was the restroom at Linda's place since the call of nature was well, calling. After doing his business and washing his hands, Barry began to feel strange all over and that's when he began to shake rapidly in super speed. It sent him to his knees with a grunt and seconds later it was over as quick as it had begun. Breathing heavily as he looked down at the floor and wondering what the heck that was even about, he shakily got to his feet and when he stared at the mirror with his mask still off, he had something of a freak out moment. As somehow or another he gained bushy eyebrows, a long beard, and some long hair. "What the Hell!?" He asked the mirror stunnedly.

"This… This shouldn't be possible!" Was all that shaking he'd just gone through to blame!?

Barry wasn't sure but he knew he needed to get to STAR Labs and fast to see if Cisco and the others had any answers. And in a blur of yellow lightning, he was gone.

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 **Author's Notes: And so it begins. Is the mysterious shaking to blame or is it potentially something more? Read on to find out! R and R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Many thanks to the two guest reviewers, as well as the favoriters and followers, it is always appreciated! If my understanding is right, Barry would be 23 years old and its around 2013. Or it might be 2014 for that matter considering the second half of season 1 this is set in. Now… Let's get this party started!**

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 **Three Minutes Later at STAR Labs**

Barry appeared in the main Cortex room, startling Dr. Hamilton, Caitlin, and several others in the process. His mask down and a perplexed look on his face was seen as well. "Huh… That took longer then it should have..." Muttered the Speedster to himself mostly.

"Barry?" Came the surprised voice of Caitlin Snow.

"Yeah Cait, its me."

"I'm not sure how that's possible at this point considering Barry Allen is in his mid twenties." Spoke up Hamilton before Caitlin could.

"Well it is me okay? And I have no idea how it even happened. I mean one minute I'm taking care of some bad guys Cisco told me about and then I start shaking all over and this happens. Heck it took me three minutes to get here. Three! It shouldn't have even taken a minute to get here!" Ranted Barry while feeling really alarmed.

Caitlin and Hamilton looked at one another for a moment before turning back to him. "Let's get some blood work drawn. Maybe that'll help us out in determining what's going on." Suggested Caitlin and Hamilton nodded.

Barry felt that was a fairly good idea and hoped like heck the results would reveal what was going on. Thirty minutes later after a few tests were done and a hair cut and a shave, the two doctors plus a few others had the results ready to go and were quite surprised by what they found. "Barry, I'm not sure how this is even possible but the results are showing that you've somehow aged at least ten years." Spoke up Caitlin a mixed look of confusion and slight worry on her face.

"Sounds like something that would happen in Eureka." Remarked Hamilton in a joking tone, making the two look at him.

Seeing the looks he was getting, he cleared his throat and got back to being serious. "Right, sorry about that. There is nothing in your results to indicate a cause that would cause you to age so rapidly over a ten year period in seconds."

Caitlin then took over after that. "Coupled with the fact it took you three minutes to get here instead of in seconds as usual, the Speed Force in your system seems to be depleted to a certain degree. Its entirely possible that whatever happened took a considerable amount of it to fuel the process. So you will need to eat quite a bit to regain that energy."

"So neither of you have any idea if this could happen again then? Because I really don't want to wind up doing that again as who knows how much I'll age!" He didn't want to be 33 already darn it!

The fact he seemed slightly smaller was a little worrisome too as no doubt the weird aging thing was a factor in that and he hoped that if it did happen again his body wouldn't get smaller. As that was kind of a scary thing in his view. Cisco came up to them with a sucker in his mouth with a contemplative look on his face. "Maybe the Speed Force is doing something to you that will help improve you? I mean we're all flyin' blind here man and the only one who even really knows the answers is locked up in Iron Heights."

And he doubted Barry wanted to even go near that man to ask him anything at all for that matter. The Speedster himself sighed and the thought of going to that man for answers was definitely the last thing he wanted to do. Had he known Cisco was just thinking along similar lines he would have laughed over it. "We should probably inform everyone else about this just to be on the safe side." Suggested Caitlin and Barry nodded.

"Good idea but I am really, REALLY hoping this is a one time thing only. The less stress on Linda and the baby the better in my opinion."

Her pregnancy was a unique thing in its own right considering he was a Speedster and he worried a great deal about anything causing her complications as time went on. Linda and the others had told him not to worry too much about it so much as it all could be for nothing for all he knew. He knew they had a point but he still couldn't help but feel the worry and even fear about his unborn baby and the mother herself. Heck, it'd likely be a thing right up until that baby was ready to come into the world. "Well I will leave you three to that while I look more into these results. I might could reach out to a few in Eureka who may be able to help."

"Right, do that and please let me know what they say as soon as you're able too okay?"

"You got it Mr. Allen." And with that, Hamilton walked away to begin his task while the three began the very oh so fun task of making a few calls. Each of them hoping this wouldn't be anything serious to worry about as who knew how far this thing could go if there was more to it.

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 **Author's Notes: Apologies on the delay of this but a slight obsession with Teen Wolf really got in the way. The mystery of what happened to Barry is still largely unknown and that's sure to be a weight on many a shoulder. R and R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing and Jay Garrick is a huge dumbass for being near that portal. Apologies on the delay for this chapter. Now, let's roll on!**

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 **Two Days Later at STAR Labs**

Two days had passed since he had aged ten years and thankfully it hadn't happened again. Which was a load off not only his mind, but the minds of his friends and family as well. Those in Eureka hadn't been able to provide much in the way of answers but did promise to look in on all experiments old or new just to be on the safe side in case anything related to aging may be missing. Though why it would be used on him was anyone's guess and a Dr. Allison Blake-Carter had theorized they may have been looking to see how it would effect someone like a Speedster. Which, while an interesting thing to do would have been a lot nicer to have asked permission to do instead of just doing it! Something the town Sheriff had a good laugh over after he had made that remark and got a glare for it from Dr. Blake.

Something told Barry that the man must have experience over there with people not exactly asking for permission. Which probably led to all sorts of bad things being started and eventually being stopped. And the Speedster could only imagine how costly that got too with all that. Barry was currently down in his lab Dr. Hamilton had provided for him and he still couldn't help but geek out over the whole thing considering how much more awesome it was compared to the one he had back at the Precinct. His latest project was looking into effective ways to make it much more harder to prevent glass tubes from breaking in case they fell down for whatever reason. But so far he was having little luck with the project since he could only gain a ten percent increase in resilliency and he was looking to do more then that.

This also when he thought about it could even be used for the face shielding SWAT Members used for their helmets. Which would be something he'd look into doing after he figured out the formulas to use for the glass tubes. Of course with the face shielding it would probably prove far more difficult but hey, he was up for the challenge. As he looked over his formulas, Barry's left hand started to shake and he looked at it in alarm since he wasn't doing it on purpose and it vaguely reminded him of what had gone on two days before. And before he knew it or could warn anyone, he was shaking all through out his body and it caused him to crash to the floor somewhat painfully. Seconds later it thankfully stopped and he struggled to stand up using a nearby table.

Gasping for breath, he managed to stand up and quickly walked over to a mirror and was shocked by what he was seeing. As yet again, he had a long beard once again that was looking a mix of black and gray and the same could be said for his hair! Not to mention a wrinkle or two on his face! Deciding he'd better quickly get to Hamilton and the others, he made to speed off, only to crash to the ground as soon as he started with a pained grunt. He found it harder to get up after that and made the decision to pull out his cell phone from his pocket and quickly told Hamilton, Caitlin, and Cisco to get down to his lab as he was having problems getting up. The three were definitely shocked as Hell when they saw the state he was in and helped him up, making him groan a little from the whole thing.

"Ugh… I feel wore out." Moaned the Speedster and Caitlin looked at him worriedly.

"Cisco, go grab a wheelchair would you?"

Barry protested that idea as Cisco ran off to do exactly that but Caitlin would have none of it. Cisco soon thankfully returned with a wheelchair and Barry reluctantly got into it and they quickly got him to the Medical Lab. Thirty minutes later and a few Big Belly Burger specials later the Speedster felt somewhat energetic as the results finally came in. Caitlin and Hamilton had frowns on their faces, causing both Barry and Cisco to be rather worried over that one. "That can't be good man." Muttered Cisco and Barry couldn't help but agree with him on that one.

After looking over the results once again, Caitlin was the first to speak up. "Whatever is causing this has made you age over fourty years Barry. Not only that but its taken up a considerable amount of your Speed Force to do it as well."

She wondered if her friend was going to let the others know about this latest development and probably would be against doing it for the time being. Which would only make the situation worse once they found out at a later point in time and had some fairly unhappy reactions about the whole thing. Barry grimaced and wondered what the Hell was causing this! Hamilton then got a text from the Eureka bunch and he reported that nothing was missing from their end and they frowned over that. As it meant something else was responsible. And whatever that thing was, was proving to be very worrisome. "So what do we do now?" Asked Cisco in a worried tone.

Barry sighed and weighed his options and quickly came to the realization that there may be only one person who could give him any answers. "You aren't gonna like it, but I think I need to pay Thawne a visit." And he was proven right when protests were made against it and he couldn't blame them for it. But this was something he needed answers for!

Especially before he wound up being an old man entirely and or winding up dead from the whole thing! But first? A shave was definitely needed as he was hating all this hair!

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 **Author's Notes: Well this can't be good for our heroic Speedster! Will Thawne have the answers Barry needs? Find out next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: And here we go with the next exciting chapter! Oh yeah, I still own nothing! But seriously though… There has to be some kind of downside to Barry's little trip to the past. Heck, Pied Piper is just one example and who knows what else got changed. How that effects LoT in some way remains to be seen as well.**

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Two hours passed and after getting a shave and a haircut, Barry found himself at Iron Heights feeling nervous about his impending talk with Eobard Thawne. As there was no telling what the man would say and any of it could be a lie to try and get him killed to sate his vengeance. Of course the universe was apparently against him as Linda had shown up while he was getting rid of all the hair and she had understandably freaked out. A crass remark about her being a gold digger now from a passing scientist had earned him a very heated glare that quickly got him hauling ass. And not even Barry could feel sorry for the smart ass guy either as that was seriously not cool. Barry tried everything he could think of to get his pregnant girlfriend to calm down and thankfully it worked. Though she was still highly worried for him and was against his idea to visit Thawne at Iron Heights.

She also pretty much insisted on going with him and any attempts to sway her had failed. Thankfully he was able to talk her into not telling anyone else about his condition or the fact he was going to visit Thawne. Though it had taken him promising a night of dinner and dancing at any location of her choice. An action that had gotten him a very pleasant kiss from the Sports reporter and more might have happened had they been in a more private area and not so concerned about more pressing issues. Even though both of the two had to admit the use of his speed in the bedroom had some appeal but the fact she was pregnant gave pause for concern. So any experimentation in that area had been decided to be held off for the time being as they traveled in Linda's car to the prison hand in hand. Barry honestly hoped he could get a straight and honest answer out of the man as one was sorely needed!

Once there, they quickly made their way inside, though it took some convincing on his part that he really was who he said he was. An experience that had made him slightly annoyed and for Linda to make a crack about him sounding like an old grumpy man much to a snickering guard's amusement. Barry had placed his arm around Linda in a comforting and protective gesture as they were escorted to Thawne's cell. Something that had glass separating him from them and when Thawne saw the two he had to let out a chuckle over seeing them. "Well, it looks to me like someone's let himself go!"

Barry frowned at the joke while Linda just glared at him. The man just laughed again as he came to the realization of why they were there. "Oh this is just too good! You need answers and where do you go to get them? Me! There's a certain kind of irony to that and I like it."

"How about you get something shoved up your murderous ass and see if you like it then." Spoke up Linda hotly and making the man whistle at her in amusement.

A hand on her shoulder from Barry made the Sports reporter look at him. "Don't go to his level, its just what he wants."

Giving his attention back to the man as he got closer to the glass, the aging Speedster stared at him for several seconds before speaking. "As you can clearly see, I'm somehow… Aging and no one back at STAR Labs has any answers for me. I hate the thought of having to come to you for anything but here I am."

Thawne smirked at him. "I gotta say, the older look looks good on you Barry."

A sigh of annoyance escaped the Speedster as he began to turn away. "You know what? Never mind, we'll just figure this out on our own." He and Linda began to walk away until Thawne started to speak up.

"Oh come on! Stop being such an old grouch and let me have a few minutes of fun!" Protested the man and earning himself glares from the couple.

They started towards the door again but Thawne's next words stopped them in their tracks. "If you leave, you'll never find the answer to what you're looking for Barry. That I can promise you."

Turning back to face the man who murdered his mother with a conflicted look on his face while Linda squeezed his hand in a reassuring way. Looking at her and hoping she would have an answer for him, Linda could only tell her boyfriend that it was up to him on what to do. Letting out a sigh, he walked back towards Thawne. "What's the answer? How can I stop aging and hopefully reverse what's happened to me? Will it keep happening if its not stopped?"

"To answer your final question, I can confirm that it will keep happening and the results won't be pretty. As for how to stop it? Well its easy, you run."

Barry looked a mix of worried and doubtful of what had been told to him. "Run? That's… That's it? I just run? It can't be that simple." Clearly the man was playing games with him and he didn't like it!

Thawne just chuckled as he stepped up to the glass from his side of the cell. "Yes Barry, it really is that simple. Well… Actually, you have to run backwards in a wide enough circle." Informed the man and shocking the couple in the process.

They looked at one another and were highly doubtful over it. "Oh, and it has to be at your fastest speeds possible."

"What a load of crap! There's just no way he can run backwards at that speed as he'd be very likely to hurt himself!" Cried out Linda and Barry was quick to agree with his girl's words.

Thawne just stepped backwards with his hands out in front of him in a defensive gesture. "As odd… As it may sound Miss Park, I can assure you its a completely legit solution."

She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe a word of that at all and Barry wasn't too far behind her in that. Thawne just chuckled and sat down on his cot. "Fine, believe me, don't believe me. I don't really care. Have fun getting old."

The two walked out after that and after a group meeting with Hamilton and a few from Eureka involved, it was decided to try Thawne's suggestion. Though Joe and Eddie weren't too trusting of this idea as both felt it was just the man's way of making Barry look like a fool. Cisco reminded them that sometimes an unorthodox method, no matter how out there it was could be the actual answer they needed. He then suggested for Barry to make use of the Particle Accelerator's ring area as it would be the safest place for him to do his fastest speeds and not cause issues for the land outside of the building. Barry gave a nod of appreciation to the idea as it was pretty good thinking. Linda followed him down to the Pipeline to where he would gain access to the ring and after a soul searing kiss between the two that had made Iris look away in jealousy and anger, Barry made his way inside it.

Masking up, Barry prepared himself and hoped like Hell this would actually work or he was going to look like one Hell of a fool for trusting Eobard Thawne! "Alright man, you are good to go!" Called out Cisco over the intercom and the Speedster nodded and began to run backwards.

As he did so, he gradually got faster and faster but the feeling of doing it backwards was just way too weird for him since he was so used to running forwards. But then… He started to feel strange and he tried his best to ignore it but it wasn't long before he found himself stumbling and crashing hard into the floor and faintly registering the panic of his loved ones as his world faded to black. "BARRY!"

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 **Author's Notes: Well that can't be good at all for Barry! What will happen next? Find out next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: And here we go with the final chapter! And as always, I own nothing but what you see here.**

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 **2 Days Later**

Barry's eyes fluttered open and he tried to sit up with a groan but found himself unable to pull off the action much to his worry and annoyance. "Whoa! Easy Barry, easy." Came the soothing voice of one Caitlin Snow.

He blearily looked at her as she and someone else helped him to sit up. "How bad?" Asked the Speedster in a surprisingly raspy voice.

"Were it not for a medical team standing by in case of anything happening, any delays may have potentially caused more issues for you." Answered Dr. Hamilton as Caitlin handed him a bottle of water that he eagerly grabbed up and drank quickly.

Though he frowned when he noticed how wrinkly and thin his hand looked as he held the bottle to his lips. Once he got his fill of the water, he handed it back to his friend and took a good look at his hands thanks to the fact his eyes were clearer. "What's wrong with my hands?" He hoped to whatever higher force that was out there that he hadn't aged again!

Caitlin gave him a look that said she was worried how he was going to react once she told him. Hamilton gave her a sympathetic look before leaving to grab the results of Barry's recent tests for them to go over. And to also send a text out to his friends and family that he was awake. "When you were running in reverse two days ago-"

"TWO DAYS AGO!?" Came the not so unexpected shout from the Speedster that sent him into a coughing fit and for Caitlin to gently pat him on the back to help him in some way.

"Yeah, you've been out for two days since the aging process started and caused you to fall."

Barry gave a wince at that as he could only imagine how bad that must have been considering how fast he was going in reverse! _Thawne must have known this would happen!_ Thought the Speedster darkly.

"How bad?" He could only imagine how Joe, Iris, his dad, and Linda were feeling over the whole thing right now.

"Well you were left with a concussion and its clear to me that you have no memory of what went on during that time. You also came out of it with several fractures in your left arm, a sprained right wrist, a few broken ribs, and your right leg was broken in several places." Answered Dr. Hamilton as he came back up to the two and making Barry wince over that.

"You also aged thirty years too Barry. Making you a hundred and three right now." Spoke up Caitlin as she backed up just in case he shouted again.

"A hundr- A hundred and th-three!?" Spluttered the shocked Speedster.

A nod came from the two. "We've of course tried further tests in order to try and stop it from possibly happening again but so far we've had no luck. And as best as we can determine, there is very little of the Speed Force within your system as it seems a majority went to healing your injuries. Though your leg still seems to be healing for the most part and you will need a cane to get around."

Barry looked at Hamilton in shock at that and wondered if the little amount he had left would even remain or if it to would vanish. Which was a scary thought for the aged Speedster. "BARRY!" Came the voice of one Iris West who Barry suddenly found himself being hugged by.

"I'm… I'm alright Iris. Promise." Comforted the man as he pat her back.

She pulled away so that she could face him while the others watched on and the tears could be easily seen in her eyes. "No, you're not alright Bear! You keep aging and who knows what will happen if it keeps on going!"

Linda stepped up next to the other side of his bed and took one of his hands into her's. "Babe, you have no idea how afraid I am right now for your safety. I want to be able to raise our baby with you in his or her life!"

A sigh escaped the old Speedster as he looked at his girlfriend and then his best friend. "I don't know what to tell either of you. I don't want to keep aging either and if I could stop it I would! I really would! And I want to be there for our baby just as much as you want it!" Spoke up the man vehemently as an idea came into his head.

Linda hugged him tightly and he hugged her back as tightly as his arms would allow him to do. "I think I can safely say you're pulling off the elderly distinguished look." Spoke up Eddie and earning himself a glare from Iris and Joe while Barry snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, thanks for that one Eddie."

"Oh he'll be really pullin' it off for sure after I show him this bad ass cane I put together!" Cisco said excitedly as he brought up the case he'd been holding and stepped forward to Barry's bed and Iris moved out of the way while Linda went back to holding her man's hand.

Opening the case, Barry and the girls saw a red and rather shiny cane that had the Flash symbol on the side of the top where his hand would rest. Taking it out and handing the case to Ronnie, he presented it to Barry. "This baby is sturdy as can be, making it hard to break. And if you press the lightning bolt while someone's trying somethin' you don't like, the cane will act as a taser and will also give off an alert to your location."

Barry looked at his friend in amazement for having come up with something like this in a short amount of time. "Wow Cisco, this… This is pretty amazing."

Cisco smiled proudly at the compliment. "Yeah, well you're my friend bro and I had to do somethin' for ya."

"And I appreciate it man, I appreciate it a lot." Granted, he wasn't exactly sure he was going to ever actually need the defensive side the cane possessed but then one never did know when something was bound to happen.

Everyone stayed to visit with Barry for a little while longer and in some cases hugs were given. Not that Barry minded those at all cause it was from people he loved and cared about a great deal. He also finally got a look at his latest appearance and while he was definitely mourning the loss of hair on the top of his head, he did have to admit that Eddie was on to something with the whole elderly distinguished thing he was talking about. And this time he couldn't even really be bothered to care about shaving anything off. Though he did have his beard trimmed so it wasn't so long as that would probably prove painful if it got caught up in something. Once everyone left though and there was only a few nurses in the medical room with him, Barry forced himself out of bed much to their dislike.

"Mr. Allen! You need to be lying down!"

"I'm fine! I have somewhere I really need to be!"

"Yes, in that bed!" Protested another nurse as she tried to get him to get back in his bed but he was proving to be surprisingly resistent to it!

As he fought them off, a chuckle could be heard and they all turned to see it was Joe West himself who was looking rather amused at the whole thing. "I knew you would try somethin' like this Bear."

"Yeah, well… The sooner I can get back to Iron Heights and talk to Thawne the better. And this time I WILL get answers." Promised the aged Speedster in a serious tone of voice.

"I really don't think talking to him is gonna help any son." Especially if the bastard tried to give him more stupid ideas that would probably get him hurt.

Barry gave him a look as he used the cane to come over to him after the nurses had thankfully given up. Or at least he thought they did as in actuality they were getting ahold of Dr. Hamilton and Caitlin to come deal with him. "He might not Joe, but I still have to try anyway!"

Joe just sighed at the determination in his adopted son's voice. "Well if I can't talk you out of it, you're gonna need some clothes before you go there." Luckily for Barry, Linda and Iris had taken some measurements of his frame during the past two days he'd been out and had a specially made outfit put together and it just so happened to be in the bag he had hanging over his shoulder.

"I kinda doubt my clothes are gonna fit me like I am now."

A grin came from his adopted dad, making Barry wonder what that was about as the man just handed him a bagged item with a hanger on it. "Luckily for you, Iris and Linda had this made up for you."

Stunned by that but rather happy the girls had the foresight to do something like this, he made his way to the restroom and while it took him a bit longer then he'd liked to get ready thanks to his leg and older body, he did have to admit he looked damned good! The suit had a Victorian feel to it, minus the hat thankfully. The shoes and vest were red with black shoe laces and buttons while the rest of the outfit was black but the tie itself was red. Barry had to wonder what exactly the two girls were thinking when they had this made up for him since he wasn't exactly the type to wear this kind of thing. That and it just made him feel old and he had enough reminders of that thank you very much!

Stepping out of the restroom, Joe gave off an appreciative whistle before laughing over what his daughter and Linda had put together for Barry. He also couldn't resist taking a picture of his adopted son and even had to definitely agree with Eddie about the whole elderly distinguished look! "Right, let's get a move on."

Joe nodded while still laughing and the two made their way out and having to deal with Hamilton and Caitlin in the process. The others would also try and talk Barry out of it but he would have none of it as he was greatly determined to speak with Thawne again. Linda decided she would come with her boyfriend and his adopted father and Iris this time decided to come along as well. Henry would have went but he figured his son had enough people going as is. Once at Iron Heights, Barry had to deal with the aggravating task of proving once again that yes, he is in fact Barry Allen and a call to STAR Labs had to be done to help with that. Once that was thankfully over with, he quickly as he was able too given his advanced age and his leg, made it to Thawne's cell with the other three close behind.

Once Thawne saw him, the man started to laugh, making Barry and the others frown in annoyance over how the man was finding it so funny. Joe slammed a hand on to the glass to get him to stop the laughter with anger on his face and thankfully it seemed to work. Though there was still the occasional laugh that escaped him and he also had a very wide smile on his face. "So it didn't work huh?"

"Cut the crap, you KNEW it wouldn't work."

A chuckle escaped his mother's killer as he walked towards the glass from his side of the cell. "Oh, I admit that I knew it wouldn't. But I just couldn't resist telling you!"

"After all I need some kind of entertainment around here to keep me from going insane."

Barry frowned at him in sheer annoyance for how the man was being. "If you ask me its about what you deserve for all you've done." Joe, Iris, and Linda nodded in full on agreement of that.

Thawne sneered at his long time enemy. "What I deserve Allen, is to go home. Not to sit and rot away in this damned cell!"

"Then you shouldn't have made the trip back to the past dumbass!" Spoke up Linda with her arms crossed.

"I wanna know how to stop the aging and how to even reverse it. No more lies, no more games." Spoke up Barry seriously as he was just done with this whole entire thing.

A nod came from his mother's killer. "Fine, as it is, the only way you're allowed to die is by my hands anyway."

"Which will be never!" Declared Iris with a heated glare towards the man.

The man had a good laugh over that one. "You should never say never Miss West."

Giving his attention to Barry, he began to speak on what he knew would really and truly help the aged Speedster. "Every so often, the Speed Force will have a hiccup that will effect a Speedster in different ways. No one's really sure why this happens but there's been theories that it may involve a change in the past having some sort of effect on the Speed Force itself. Again, no one is certain. But the few times its caused Speedsters to age, the only way it was stopped before they withered away to dust was for them to meditate."

"Meditate? You can't be serious." Joe protested angrily.

"Oh I'm very serious Detective. Allen needs to meditate in order to connect with the Speed Force in order to stop the aging. I give my word, for whatever that may be worth that I am telling you all the truth. Whatever you decide to do with that information is entirely up to you."

Things were silent for a short time as they thought that over with. Barry then stepped up to the glass separating him from Thawne. "If this is another trick of yours, I will be back and you won't like what happens when I do."

A snort of disbelief escaped Thawne over that one. "Yeah, I'm shaking in my shoes old man."

Barry glared at him before walking away and it wasn't long before the others followed him. Once they were back at STAR Labs, the aged Speedster discussed it with the rest o the group and many of them were having trouble believing it. But Barry in the end decided to try it after reading up on the subject and needed some help to get into a meditative position on the floor in the Cortex. Once settled, the Speedster began to clear his mind to allow himself to somehow connect with the Speed Force. At first, it felt like nothing was happening, but then he felt the urge to open his eyes and what he saw surprised him greatly. As all there was in front of him was a black empty void. At least until a streak of lightning went past him.

It seemed to go everywhere until it finally stopped in front of him, making him step back nervously as he had no desire to get electrocuted! " **Barry Allen of Earth-1CW214, you are now part of the Speed Force.** **Though it is unfortunate you would have to come when your body is aging.** "

"You mean… You mean I could have come for any other reason?"

" **Yes Barry Allen, that is correct. Though how that would have happened is something of a great many possibilities.** " Barry nodded at that as it made sense to him.

"I tihnk you know why I'm here. So please, tell me how to stop the aging and if possible, to revert it!"

The streak of lightning didn't answer him at first as it pulsed and Barry hoped like crazy that he hadn't just offended it! " **You must observe Barry Allen. Observe all there is to see within the Speed Force and you will have your answer then.** "

Now the aged Speedster was greatly confused by that but then the light of the lightning grew in intensity and before he knew it, he was seeing so many different things. Things that awed him and even confused him to an extent. Through the Speed Force he saw so many other Speedsters, some that were versions of himself that even included those who had a different face much to his amazement. He saw worlds that contained Speedsters and all that they did. He could even see the past, present, and future of his own timeline and while what looked to be snippets of events to come confused him, the vastness of all that he saw was amazing to the Scientist within him. Barry felt connected to everything and it was a truly humbling experience for the man.

Unknown to him however, in the real world his body was glowing with streaks of electricity running all around his body and many in the group were greatly unsure if that was a bad thing or not. The fact he started to float was another thing that made them worry a bit. Of course Hamilton wasn't exactly worried as he was more fascinated by the whole thing then anything else. Something Cisco shared to a certain degree. They all watched as his body moved of its own accord and both Linda and Iris had to be kept back to prevent potential shocks from hurting them. Finally however, Barry's eyes opened and one could see the yellow electricity arcing all through out his eyes and to their amazement he began to de-age back to his original age. Cisco quickly brought out his phone to start recording the whole thing and mentally kicked himself for not having thought of the idea sooner.

Then to their complete surprise as none of them had expected it to happen, Barry vanished in a burst of electricity. Though he soon re-appeared seconds later and there would be reports seen on the news sometime later of a yellow streak of light seen all over the world. The electricity faded from Barry's body as he was now completely back to his original age as his feet touched the floor. The Speedster could be seen smiling happily over the turn of events. Iris and Linda quickly rushed to him and hugged him, making him laugh as he placed his arms around the two girls. He gave a sigh of relief as he could just tell that things were back to normal now. "Dude! That? Was awesome!" Called out Cisco happily, making Barry and the others laugh at his enthusiasm.

"It felt awesome too." Replied the Speedster as the girls let go of him, though they were certainly staying close to him.

Henry stepped up to his son to ask him how it was and watched his son's face take on a look of awe. "It was… It was a whole other experience dad. It was amazing, awe-inspiring, breath taking." He told his dad softly and the two hugged tightly to share their relief that the latest danger was now over with.

Maybe one day Barry would tell his dad and his friends what all he saw, but that day would not be today. He knew though that he was feeling ready for whatever came next thanks to his having joined the Speed Force for such a short time. And that he would be able to take on the next problem with his friends and family by his side.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: That's a wrap folks! Thanks for reading and enjoying it! But what happens when you have a rather hairy problem that's psychic running around and causing problems? Well… You'll have to find out when Monkey See's and Monkey Does! Though it may be some time before I get to that one! Anywho… R and R!**


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